Introduction to Key Biodiversity Areas

Andy Plumptre, Head KBA Secretariat

22nd January 2021

Presentation to APBON 12th Workshop

© Gregoire Dubois© Anup Shah© Gregoire Dubois

KBAs are defined as:

“sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity”

© Andrea Schieber

Areas of importance for biodiversity

The CBD recognized the need to conserve

“…areas of particular importance for biodiversity…”

in Aichi Target 11

Areas of importance for biodiversity

• Many different approaches at various scales

• Most conservation action occurs at the site scale

• BirdLife International’s success has led to similar approaches for other taxa

• But, this can be confusing for decision-makers…

Need for a global standard

World Conservation Congress in Bangkok in 2004:

• IUCN members recognized the need for a unifying framework for identifying important sites across all biodiversity

Global consultation process

Technical papers

Framing workshop

Stakeholder engagement

Technical Working groups

MarineThresholds

Criteria & Delineation

Rules & procedure

End Users Consultations

Regional Consultations

Online consultation

Testing

Editorial team

KBA Standard

A unifying framework

• Key Biodiversity Areas provide an umbrella framework designed to harmonize existing approaches

• For the first time, the conservation community has rallied around a common approach

A Global Standard• The KBA Standard: adopted by IUCN

Council and launched at the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii in 2016

• The KBA Partnership: 13 leading nature conservation organisations committed to identify, map, monitor and conserve KBAs

A Global Standard

A globally standardized science-based approach for identifying KBAsDefinitions, criteria and quantitative thresholds designed to ensure that KBA identification is:• objective• repeatable• transparent

CRITERIAPopulation reduction

Restricted geographic

range

Small population

size & decline

Very small or restricted

population

Quantitative analysis

Quantitative thresholds

RED LIST CATEGORIES

The criteria are applicable to marine, freshwater, terrestrial and subterranean systems

Source: SANBI 2019

KBA criteria are designed to capture biodiversity at genetic, species and ecosystem levels

Collectively, the criteria aim to capture the various ways in which a site can be important for the global persistence of biodiversity

KBA Criteria

A. Threatened biodiversityB. Geographically restricted biodiversity

C. Ecological integrityD. Biological processes

E. Irreplaceability through quantitative analysis

A1. Threatened species

A2. Threatened ecosystem types

©Robin Moore

A. Threatened biodiversity

© Alison Woodley

B1. Individual geographically restricted species

B2. Co-occurring geographically restricted species

B3. Geographically restricted assemblages

B4. Geographically restricted ecosystem types

©Robin Moore

B. Geographically restricted biodiversity

© Arthur Haines

©Robin Moore

C. Ecological integrity

© Jürgen Freund / WWF

D. Biological processes

D1: Demographic aggregations

D2: Environmental refugia

D3: Recruitment sources

© Dimitri B.© Peter Chadwick / WWF

©Robin Moore

E. Irreplaceability through quantitative analysis(a) Representing at least X mature individuals of each species

(b) Representing at least an area of Y km2 for each species

Thresholds

Site regularly holds one or more of the following:

A. Threatened biodiversity

Biodiversity element at site

A1: Threatened species(a) CR/EN species

(b) VU species……(e) Single-site CR/EN species

% Global population/extent Reproductive units

(a) ≥0.5% ≥5

(b) ≥1% ≥10

……

entire population

Note. Low thresholds for threatened species are precautionary

Assessment parameters

i. number of mature individuals ii. area of occupancy iii. extent of suitable habitat iv. range v. number of localitiesvi. distinct genetic diversity

Delineating KBAs• Delineation is the process of defining the

geographic boundaries of a KBA • Aim is to derive KBA boundaries that are

ecologically relevant yet practical for management

• Required step in KBA identification• It occurs in consultation with rights-holders

and other relevant stakeholders

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1 The image on this slide will be switched out as soon as Jessica develops itGWC, 2020/06/13

KBAs inform national, regional, and global decision-making• Policy support to description of sites under

international conventions

• Targets and indicators for CBD biodiversity targets and Sustainable Development Goals (14.5, 15.1, 15.4)

• Protected area creation & expansion

• Allocation of conservation funding

• Private and public sector environmental safeguards

KBAs and other conservation initiatives

• KBAs use data from Red List of Species and Red List of Ecosystems, species population data and genetic diversity data

• KBAs can then inform a variety of processes to better target conservation resources and contribute to halting biodiversity loss

Protected area coverage of KBAs

Used by business and financing institutions• Guidelines for Businesses and governments

developed around KBAs• KBAs – Critical Habitat (IFC, Equator Principles,

Socete Generale)• Banks and biodiversity no-go policy:

http://banksandbiodiversity.org

World Database of KBAs

Query information: World Database of KBAs

www.keybiodiversityareas.org

KBAs identified nationally• KBAs are identified at a national level• Encourage the establishment of KBA National Coordination Groups

KBAs and AP-BON• Biodiversity data generated by AP-BON

can be used to identify KBAs• Provision of more accurate range and

Suitable Habitat Maps for species to help identify KBAs

• KBAs provides a means of turning biodiversity data into concrete conservation results at a national level

• AP-BON efforts can help monitor KBAs and their trigger elements

• Professor Y. Trisurat – KBA Community Representative for Asia

Tools for learning more about the KBA criteria, delineation and proposal process

KBA Community

• KBA Community: chair.kba.community@keybiodiversityareas.org

Professor Y. Trisurat – Community Representative for AsiaDr M. Crosby and Dr M. O’Brien – Regional Focal points for Asia and Pacific respectively• www.keybiodiversityareas.org